Guest Post for Harvee Lau, Book
Dilettante
When
I wrote The Spy Thief I had certain objectives, all of which were secondary to
my overarching desire to tell what I believed was a gripping tale. I am, after
all, a storyteller. But the secondary objectives were real and as follows –ground
the story in an espionage realism not seen elsewhere in current spy fiction; make
it a completely immersive experience across all the senses; give the reader
more than he or she expects or needs; and provide a motivation for my
antagonist which has hitherto not been seen in fiction before.
I’m
a former spy who spent many years working for Great Britain’s MI6 – the equivalent
of America’s CIA, France’s DGSE, Israel’s Mossad, and Russia’s SVR, although
MI6 is the oldest truly global overseas intelligence service and created the
foundations for the secret world. For many years, I covertly travelled the
world, confronting highly complex and fraught matters pertaining to the
national security of my country and its allies. The term “spy” is often
misused. Despite protestations to the contrary, there aren’t that many spies,
at least not in accordance to the professional definition of the cadre. And the
number of former spies writing books is miniscule. In Britain, I’m the only
ex-spy writing fiction. I suspect that in America there are only a handful of
former CIA officers writing stories. So, there are a tiny bunch of ex-spooks
out there crafting fiction and it would be understandable to imagine that we
have the monopoly on writing spy novels. We don’t and nor should we. Being a
former spy means that I have a steady hand when it comes to writing about all
matters espionage. But, all good authors have imaginations, are intelligent,
and these days have easy access to openly-available research material. One
doesn’t have to have been a spy to write a cracking spy novel. The late and
great John le Carré was an MI6 officer before becoming a renowned author. But,
Alan Furst is also a magnificent spy author, and he never spied in his life.
Where
I do have something to say on the dreaded word “realism” is that I’ve seen,
heard, touched, smelled, and felt the secret world. I know from first-hand
experience what it’s like to deal with the human condition when it’s tested to
the limit in the shadows. In The Spy Thief I portray a raft of emotions, and
they include those that are reactions to the most extreme events. I would hope
that my readers can tell such scenes are written by an author who has manifold
memories cascading through his head as his fingers tap the keyboard. The Spy
Thief allows the reader a glimpse into my head. But it’s not just a “look”. I
want all of the reader’s senses engaged. Thus, I’ve written the book in a
certain way and with key content that hopefully ensures the reader is in the
secret world and all that it contains.
The
starting point for The Spy Thief project was a photograph. In 1965, my father
was fresh off the boat from his last voyage, in a fifteen-year globe-navigating
career in the merchant navy. He gravitated to London which, at the time, felt
like “spy-central”. The Soviet Union was having an impact on British fiction,
fact, and fashion. That year, cinemas were showing The Spy Who Came In From The
Cold, The Ipcress File, and Dr Zhivago; the Cold War was at its peak; in London
and elsewhere, people wore clothes that made them look like they were about to
stab someone with a poison-umbrella. My father took his photo while strolling
through a London park with his flatmate. By his own admission, the shot was a
fluke. But he thought, and I concur, that the photo really captured the feel of
a spy story. For years I wanted to use the photo on the cover of one of my
books. The challenge was marrying the photo with the right story. Finally, I
created the right story. The result is The Spy Thief.
I’ve
always set myself the highest standards and am my biggest critic. That applies
to my work as an author. I constantly tell myself that readers deserve better
than what I’m doing, better than what others are doing. I’m a perfectionist,
and make no apologies for being that way. That doesn’t mean I always achieve
what I strive to accomplish. But, I relentlessly give it my best shot and am
never complacent. In The Spy Thief, I believe that I have achieved what I set
out to do. In my opinion, it is my best work and I’m proud of the story. I want
to test my readers, take them away from the norm, and give them a wholly
unexpected and captivating odyssey.
I
sincerely hope that my loyal readers and new readers enjoy the novel.
August 2021
The Spy Thief (Ben Sign Mystery #5) by Matthew Dunn, August 2, 2021, ebook
The most vital secrets of Great Britain are being stolen and sold to hostile foreign agencies. The perpetrator is a ruthless high-ranking British official, code name The Thief.... Brilliant strategist and former MI6 spy Ben Sign is commissioned to investigate the security breach and neutralise The Thief. Sign realises he is facing the most formidable opponent he has ever encountered.(publisher)
Matthew Dunn is a former MI6 British
Intelligence officer. He spent many years operating in deep-cover alias roles
in overseas locations, often in hostile territories. His work as a spy required
him to obtain secrets from hostile regimes, agencies, and individuals. He
specifically targeted the highest echelons of rogue states and in doing so
supported and directly influenced the national security effort of Great Britain
and its allies. He retired from MI6 ten years ago and became a bestselling
author. To date he has written 14 published novels, including the “Ben Sign”
spy series and “Spycatcher” series. His latest novel is The Spy Thief, the 5th
standalone novel in the Ben Sign series, exclusive to Amazon in e-book and
paperback format.
Author Social Media Links
THE SPY THIEF:
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Dunn/e/B004EHL8EM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5395765.Matthew_Dunn
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/matthewdunnauthor/_created/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjGu6yrTlQp9uvzaABzHxQ
https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/matthew-dunn
Thanks to the author, Matthew Dunn, for giving us a look into the writer's mind, with his British intelligence background and intimate knowledge of the people in the world of international espionage.
Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon
Thanks for visiting me. I have passed this post onto my husband, this is his kind of book.
ReplyDeleteThe Spy Thief looks good! Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your week. Here are my WEEKLY UPDATES
ReplyDeleteIt certainly sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a spy novel written by an actual spy. I wonder how it compares to others of its genre.
ReplyDeleteThe photo on the cover is fabulous. How great that he was able to make that actual family photo the cover of his novel.
This book looks really good.
ReplyDeleteBet this book is crazy good. Enjoy. My Sunday Salon post
ReplyDeleteWhat a great "story behind the story"! Definitely have to read this one!
ReplyDelete